Tomas Tatar

Tatar scored 19 goals and 20 assists in a breakout effort for the Wings last season, taking part in 73 games. The 23-year-old displayed a knack for offense alongside Gustav Nyquist, and should be a force in Detroit for years to come. He has the potential to be a 50-plus poin...

Fresh off winning the postseason MVP for the AHL champion Griffins, Tatar is likely hoping for bigger and better things in 2013-14. He scored an incredible 16 goals in the AHL playoffs in 24 games, and had seven points in 16 games with Detroit last season. He is probably the Red Wings' top prospect and will get a good, hard look in training camp this fall. In the next year or two, Tatar should be residing in Detroit as a top-six forward, but there is currently a glut of forwards in the organization.

2012-13

Tatar delivered another 24-goal season at Grand Rapids (AHL) and there's reason to believe that he may be closing in on an opportunity in Detroit. Now 21, it's unclear if he'll develop enough of an all-around game to make that leap permanently out of training camp, but Tatar is one of the more experienced prospects in the Wings' system and the team's need for secondary scoring may pave his way to a top-six role before season's end.

2011-12

Tatar lit the lamp in his NHL debut for the Wings on New Year's Eve last season, but failed to register another point while holding a depth role for the big club during a nine-game stint. Still just 20 years old, the Slovakian winger has the speed and hands to develop into a top-line sniper in the not-so-distant future. Tatar spent most of his season with Grand Rapids (AHL), racking up 57 points (24 G, 33 A) over 70 games and improving his plus/minus to a plus-14 mark last season. Depth in Detroit will likely keep him in the AHL for one more season, but he could become a part of the regular plans in 2012-13 with many of the aging veterans coming off the books.

2010-11

Most scouting reports of Tatar are nothing short of glowing. His future appears to be that of a scoring-line sniper, as he's got a combination of top-end speed and excellent hands along with a knack for always being in position to make things happen with the puck. At 19, he's going to return to Grand Rapids (AHL) to continue refining his game – particularly, in the defensive end – but in long-term keeper leagues, there's definite star potential here. Coming up through the Red Wings' system, he may have to be worked in slowly like most of the team's young players (see: Abdelkader, Justin), but Tatar was very productive as the youngest player in the AHL last season (32 points in 58 games) and a 2011-2012 debut with the Wings isn't out of the question.

2009-10

Tatar has impressed the Wings after being drafted in the second round of the 2009 draft. At 18, he's still a little ways away from cracking a deep lineup in Detroit, but Tatar is an elite talent and the Red Wings are going to develop him in North America at Plymouth (OHL) or possibly Grand Rapids (AHL) to begin his time in the organization. Assistant general manager Jim Nil compared to Tatar to Jiri Hudler, but with better speed. With that skill set, he could wind up landing as a sniping winger on one of the team's scoring lines down the road.